You love the idea of travel — fabulous vacations, visits to the grandparents, a mid-winter business trip to warm climates — but travel kind of sucks, right? Brutal lines. Checked bag fees. TSA “special” pat downs. Middle seats in the way back. Expensive, inflexible tickets. Hotel rooms with views of the parking lot. Torture. But, really, it doesn’t have to. There are a few, genuinely simple things you can do to make it much, much better. So follow along and get there better.

I stumbled on this article last night that I just adore - Danish travel site Monmondo created an advertising campaign that took DNA from 69 people and interviewed them about their beliefs about their heritage. The cool thing about DNA testing, of course, is that...

Most people think only about flights and credit cards when they're collecting frequent flyer miles and points. But there are actually a huge number of ways to earn miles and points without ever climbing in a metal tube or whipping out the plastic. The best...

All three major carriers are selling direct New York to London flights today for around $500 in October, November and December. Even if you don't live in NYC, take a look at Google Flights for your city and/or think about what a separate positioning flight...

I want to be good at postcards when I travel but I'm just not -- the hassle of buying the card, writing the card, buying postage and finding a mailbox is just a few steps too many. I'm well intentioned but never execute - I...

"Hi, I'm Julie/Julia and I have a travel addiction." (Hi Julie/Julia!).
Or something like that. So, what’s the deal with me and this blog? Frankly, it's an outlet for me and hopefully helpful for you -- more than anything, it gives me a place to write down...

There's a broad fare war going on and airlines are significantly discounting fares to Europe from their own hubs as well as other airline's hubs -- this is unusual and great for you! If you want to go to Europe in August, September or October,...

You almost never know what your rental car will really cost -- rental car companies are famous for mystery fees and extra charges -- and frequently changing rates. Could you have gotten a better deal for the same car? Probably. Would it have taken more...

Calling airlines can be incredibly frustrating. Different answers, fees at every turn, long waits, lots of "you can't do that".
Airlines are enormously complex beasts — just watch a ground crew prepare a flight to departure and think about how many processes happen for just that one piece...

Have you ever called an airline and been told that the wait was 2 hours? And you're stuck somewhere in an airport or hotel and just want to get home?
[caption id="attachment_15548" align="alignright" width="169"] The ominous notification of rolling flight delays[/caption]
When weather hits major airline hubs,...

I spent Memorial Day on a round trip from DC to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (PUJ). The reasons for the trip are too long to explain, but suffice it to say it was part of a larger strategy that involved business class and Europe.
My first...

ABOUT

With a life recipe of a smattering of work-related travel, a healthy helping of personal travel, a genetic predisposition for exploring the world and a dash of travel-hacking curiosity, Julia spends much of her time either in a different time zone or thinking about how to get to one. After hearing "you're crazy!" followed shortly after by "can you help me do that?" one too many times, she finally decided to share how she gets there better to help others do the same.

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ABOUT

You love the idea of travel — fabulous vacations, visits to the grandparents, a mid-winter business trip to warm climates — but travel kind of sucks, right? Brutal lines. Checked bag fees. TSA “special” pat downs. Middle seats in the way back. Expensive, inflexible tickets. Hotel rooms with views of the parking lot. Torture.
But, really, it doesn’t have to. There are a few, genuinely simple things you can do to make it much, much better. So follow along and get there better.